


Motivational Change

by ImperialMint



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-13
Updated: 2011-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-15 14:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/161981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialMint/pseuds/ImperialMint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Itachi didn't just change one thing in Naruto's life; the motivation was there and it was all because of that lone Uchiha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Motivational Change

Part One

-

"That's bad for your skin, you know."

Naruto jumped at the voice and the knife blade that had been cutting small tracks along the inside of his wrist jolted a little, cutting deeper into the skin. Naruto scowled at the man and pressed his fingers to the wound in effort to stem the sudden flow of blood.

There was a reason why Naruto came all the way out to this wood in order to self harm and that was to keep out of everyone's way, in particular his mother. She would most likely curse at him and make him clean up any blood before looking at him with those eyes. Every time she looked at him, Naruto saw the flash of pain in her eyes before she drowned it away with another glass of alcohol. Naruto had seen pictures (a box of them was hidden under his bed, charred and blackened from the fire that Kushina had set them to in an effort to rid herself of memories) and knew he was the spitting image of his father.

His father, Namikaze Minato, the man who had thrown his body over his son's when a bomb had exploded at the town's shopping centre. In total, seventeen people had died and none of the pressure group behind the attack had been sentenced. Uzumaki Kushina had never said it aloud but Naruto could tell that part of her wished it had been her husband to receive the six scars and Naruto had died that day. The woman had even changed their names back to her maiden name when Naruto was eight, two years after becoming a widow.

"Why do you do it?"

Naruto shrugged at the intruder and glared as the log he had been sitting upon shifted as the annoyance sat down beside him.

"I'm hoping one day I will either have the willpower to stop or the guts to go all the way. For now I just wait."

The man cocked his head and hummed.

"Seems stupid to just wait. Do you want to do something?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and pulled his finger away from the deep wound on his arm; the bleeding had finally stopped. He could feel the man's dark eyes watching as he one-handedly pulled a bandage from his jacket pocket and wrapped it around his arm. Usually he would just leave it but because there was a deep wound it would be best to bandage it up, for now at least.

"No I don't. You can leave now."

Naruto waited patiently, staring down at the rotting leaves on the ground and waiting for the man to leave. When he didn't Naruto looked up with blazing eyes yet paused as he saw the man. Dark eyes looked at Naruto in curiosity and the Uzumaki looked away, fighting the blush. How come this one man could make him feel like a school girl with one look!

"I'm Itachi."

Naruto scowled at the offered hand and pushed it away.

"Your worst nightmare, nice to be acquainted with you." Naruto stood up and walked away. To his annoyance the Itachi-guy began to follow and it didn't take more than ten steps before Naruto wheeled round.

"Do you mind! There's a whole fucking wood here, why follow me?"

Itachi shrugged.

"I'll go if you want. I just wanted to see if you could open your mind."

"There are a lot of other things you could be doing instead."

Naruto glinted up as he saw the silhouette in the sun's light. It was him again, Itachi.

"Yeah, yeah."

Itachi sat down next to the blond with a sigh and Naruto wiped the blade on a leaf at his feet before pocketing it. Itachi had been here every day for a week, at the same time and same place.

"You think you'd be bored by now," commented Naruto but Itachi just shrugged.

"I take the dog out for a walk."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You don't havea dog."

Itachi raised his eyebrows.

"Who says? Open your mind, Naruto-kun."

Itachi always said that; open your mind, before walking off… what the hell did he mean? Naruto fingered the blade in his pocket lightly as he watched the man walk off through the trees…

Wait…

"How the fuck did you know my name?"

Naruto had always made sure to refer to himself solely as 'Nightmare', 'Zombie' and (his personal favourite) 'Demon' in Itachi's presence.

Naruto was waiting for him the next time they met. Itachi sauntered up to the log and Naruto met his steady gaze.

"How did you know my name?"

Itachi shrugged and Naruto growled in exasperation.

"You know what? I don't care. I. Don't. Care."

Naruto turned his back to Itachi yet the man took a seat next to him. Itachi coughed gently and Naruto looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Do you want to do something?"

Naruto frowned; how weird could one person get? They didn't know each other and it was clear that Naruto didn't like him. He was a twenty-something year old man who Naruto knew nothing about yet he wanted to 'do something' with a seventeen year old? Someone sound the pervert alarm, we got a live one!

"No," so back off you dirty man was Naruto's secret addition. Itachi shrugged and stood,

"If you ever want me, just wait here. I walk my dog every day."

Naruto nodded his head absently and watched as Itachi's hair moved across his shoulders in time with his steps. It wasn't until he was gone that Naruto bolted to his feet and pointed a finger in the direction the man had gone.

"You don't have a fucking dog!"

When Naruto returned home, the night passed in a surreal blur. Everything happened so quickly; Kushina was 'entertaining' one of the nameless men she had picked up at a bar when – somehow – they had a fight and a piece of glass made its way into Kushina's upper arm. Obviously the man had scarpered after that and Naruto attempted to remove the glass and staunch the flow of blood.

Upon removing the glass shard, however, Naruto discovered that the wound was deep and had cut its way partially into the muscle. As much as he was at a loathe to, Naruto knew he had to get his mother to hospital and it had to be soon.

He was grateful for the keys being on the side, hung up unlike they normally were. Whenever he snuck out with the car, the keys were either in his mother's bag – and that caused her to ask why exactly he was rummaging through her handbag, worried that he may be stealing her alcohol money - or nowhere to be found. In fact, the car was normally the only reason that Naruto ever got to have the small social life he did.

"Right, you have to come with me now Kushina, just hold onto my arm and count out loud to me."

When Kushina remained staring down at the blood on her arm, her eyes wide and frightened (Naruto felt a pang at the expression as he linked it back to her drinking; Kushina drank to forget being alone) so he ran off to the kitchen and grabbed a tea-towel, wrapping the fabric around her arm in an attempt to cut off the supply of blood.

"What number comes next, one, two, three…" Naruto pulled Kushina gently towards the door, the keys in his pocket, and goaded her to complete his sentence, stretching the numbers on and on. Naruto had never taken a first aid course and counting was the only way he could think of to focus her mind on what she needed to do.

They got into the car and Naruto sped down their long drive, cursing inwardly about his father's love for the country. They were at least twenty minutes from the nearest town hospital and that meant twenty minutes of worrying for his alcoholic of a mother.

They arrived at the A&E section and Naruto led Kushina towards the desk. The woman took one look at them before nodding curtly and handing over a form for them to fill out. Naruto did so with a look of disdain on his face; Kushina was bleeding for god's sake and he had to fill out forms?

It took only a couple of minutes and Naruto handed back the paper and pen, the woman clicking a few things on her computer screen before tracing the name Uzumaki. Naruto waited and Kushina counted under her breath as they waited for the name to be called out.

"Dr. Uchiha."

Naruto blinked; last time they had Dr. Umino.

"Iruka-san is currently busy and we had a transfer doctor. He took upon your family files."

Naruto nodded and followed the receptionist to the allocated corridor, and then door. She knocked twice upon the wood before it was opened by a tall man. He looked out at Naruto and smiled almost patronisingly so.

"How can we help you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto rolled his eyes; Kisame had been helping Iruka for a few months and obviously he had transferred to Uchiha as his nurse. Kisame and Naruto never really got on; they would constantly take jabs at each other to determine who was 'higher up in status'… whatever that meant.

"Shut up fish face, it's not me this time."

Kisame snorted and mimicked the action of cutting his wrist. Naruto glared at him and flipped his middle finger up at Kisame. The man rolled his eyes and faked crying. In return, Naruto raised one eyebrow, placed a shocked look on his face before miming shooting himself in the head. The chuckle that Kisame produced was not faked and it was interrupted by a cough.

"If you two have quite finished, I think Uzumaki-san is probably in a bit of pain and I do believe that she will need stitches."

Naruto's eyes widened and the hand he had brought up to his temple as the gun fell to his side as he saw Itachi walking towards his mother pulling gently on the cloth tied onto her arm. Gentle fingers prodded the skin around the wound and Naruto's mind wandered as the pair did whatever they needed to so.

"We're all done here."

Kushina was in a sort of daze and Naruto nodded to Itachi as he saw the bandage – pristine white that wouldn't last much longer – around her arm.

"So this was how you knew my name then?"

Itachi inclined his head and handed over a small orange bottle with circular pills inside.

"Three a day with five hour gaps between each intake. Not to be taken with alcohol, nor is any alcohol to be consumed whilst on this medication."

Naruto nodded and they left.

In the bin outside the hospital lay an unopened bottle of prescription drugs; Kushina was never going to give up on alcohol anyway.

Naruto sat on the log – same as always – with his head in his hands. Footfalls of a large animal came closer and Naruto looked up to see a shaggy head of an Irish wolfhound before his eyes. The dog's tongue left its mouth to leave a wet trail on Naruto's nose before sitting down in front of him, raising a huge paw to scrape along Naruto's thigh and whining for attention. Naruto scratched behind the scruffy dog's ear and looked around for the owner.

About ten metres away stood Itachi, arms crossed over his chest and a lead in his hands. Naruto scowled at the scene and pushed the huge dog away. The mutt merely whined again and put its head on Naruto's lap, dark eyes gazing adoringly up into Naruto's blue ones.

"So you have a dog now too."

Itachi nodded and seated him self – same as always – next to Naruto. The dog shifted its weight a little in an attempt to draw Naruto's attention from the ground and back to it and the blond grudgingly scratched the grey fur behind its ear.

"What's his name?"

Itachi shrugged.

"His show name is Axleborn Sir Maestro. His breeders named him that but we just call him Axe."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully and the dog rested his head on the hand that was still scratching behind his ear.

"Hey Axe. You're nicer than the mean man who owns you, aren't you? See, you're not so bad really… just a big lump of dog who was carted off to a bastard like him. I really feel for you."

At that exact moment, Axe moaned at the loss of Naruto's hand and the Uzumaki chuckled. A deep sound joined in and Naruto stopped suddenly, curious as to what Itachi sounded like when he was laughing. There was no other way to put it; it was beautiful.

"What's it like being a doctor?"

Itachi stopped laughing and looked over at the wood before picking up a stick and throwing it into the bushes. The grey dog bounded over and began to rummage in the foliage for the one stick that smelt of Itachi. The rustling of leaves accompanied Itachi's answer,

"I love it. It's hard work and tiring but I wouldn't do anything else. I get to help people, even save them, and that, for me, is worth getting up every day."

Naruto seemed to consider this for a moment before looking at Itachi, his eyes full of emotions. Itachi remained silent but inched a little closer in effort to look closely into Naruto's eyes, wondering why they were drawing him in so much.

"Naruto…?"

And it happened so suddenly, so randomly yet so perfectly at the same time. Naruto placed a hand on Itachi's upper arm and leaned in, his lips taking to Itachi's like a duck to water. The movement sparked a reaction between them and they moved closer together, bodies pressed together, almost as if they were attempting to share one skin.

Naruto was suddenly pushed from the log as Axe hurtled back to the couple, intent on joining in the attention. Naruto looked sideways at Itachi and groaned as the dog closed his mouth gently around Naruto's arm, closing the jaw softly in an attempt to play. All it left was a slightly slimy trail on Naruto's arm and he wiped it onto Itachi's chest,

"Your dog, your responsibility."

Naruto was smiling as he walked off and he hoped for all his credibility that Itachi couldn't see it.

It was two weeks since Itachi and Naruto had first kissed and it had been followed by five others. Each had been longer than the predecessor and Naruto found himself thinking frequently about Itachi during the day.

Due to Itachi, everything in his life had changed; he actually had motivation during classes and showed up actively at college now that the school break was over. He had barely scraped by his last exams and now even the teachers had commended him on his progress. It wasn't anything worth of an A yet, but it was getting there and that was all that mattered.

He was working on it.

Naruto had always hated dogs before but now that Itachi often showed up alongside Axe, Naruto found himself stroking dogs that he passed on the streets while talking to owners; something he would never have done before.

The last thing, though, was the main significance; Naruto hadn't even taken the blade he used to the wood since the first kiss. That day it had been in his bag, almost as if it was waiting for something, yet he had not even thought of it when Itachi had come. That was why he made such a significant impact and Naruto truly felt he had something to be happy about for once.

Sure, Kushina was still on the booze and he had to work every night after college and weekends, but it was getting better. He was managing things, just, and with the help from one of his employers, he attended a few extra classes.

Naruto had taken the motivation that Itachi had provided him with and turned it into a goal; a goal to make not only his life better but other people's.

And what better way than to become a doctor?

It was Monday and Naruto walked to his log. Their log. He wanted to ask Itachi something that had been bothering him for a while and hoped the man would be here soon.

He wasn't disappointed and Itachi showed up, Axe following closely behind. As soon as the Wolfhound saw Naruto, he bounded over and launched his body at Naruto. The blond laughed and rubbed the grey head. Axe flopped to the ground and pushed his paws up in the air; Naruto obliged and stroked the dog's stomach.

"Say, Itachi," he questioned after a while and Itachi looked over. "Where exactly do you live?"

Axe jolted and his head snapped round, following a squirrel as it ran across their little area. He bounded off after it, barks echoing around the wood and Itachi smiled.

"It's not too far… do you want to have a look? I'll make us tea or something."

Naruto beamed back and nodded. Kushina wouldn't miss him at all and tea was always something he enjoyed. Unfortunately, to the Uzumaki household, tea was not a necessity. Things like vodka and tequila were of more importance and so Naruto missed out on his tea.

They began to walk and Axe soon joined them. They came to the main entrance to the wood and whereas Naruto would walk off to the left to meet the main drive to his house, Itachi veered off to the right.

Trees outlined the path and the wind blew gently through them; the autumn air poignant and cooling. Itachi hesitantly slipped his hand into Naruto's and Naruto hid the smile on his face again, squeezing gently in return.

They exited the rural path and onto a gravelled drive. The garden leading up to the beautiful cottage was beautiful; it was arranged neatly yet still held the disorganisation that one loved in nature. Trees of different varieties lined up on each side and gave way to a dark black car that Naruto knew probably cost more than his whole house.

The cottage itself was gorgeous; with thatched roofing and dark beams it gave of a period look that Naruto was drawn to. He had seen this house advertised a while ago and he had been captivated with it.

And he had never known it was literally on his doorstep, let alone belonging to the man he was in a sort-or-relationship with.

They entered the house and Naruto looked around at the walls. There were pictures on the walls of the areas surrounding the cottage; of the wood, of a lake that was nearby and, of course, of the home itself. Naruto suspected that they were relics left by previous inhabitants and he smiled.

One document on the wall was a written up history of the cottage but before Naruto had time to read it all, Itachi directed him to the kitchen. They passed the stairs and Naruto chuckled at Axe lying on his bed, spread out as if he had been running for days.

"Here we are then, please sit down. Would you like tea or coffee?"

"Tea please." Naruto looked around the room and smiled to himself. It was so warm in this house and he looked around for the source.

"It's probably the Aga that you're looking for."

Naruto looked up to the whistling of a kettle as Itachi pulled the iron pot from the plate on the Aga. Heat radiated from the oven and Naruto nodded slowly; even his bed would never be this warm.

"One sugar with milk please," Naruto said at Itachi's look and the man nodded, adding the appropriate amounts of each. He returned to the table, setting down two cups. Naruto twisted his beige cup around to see the design and smiled at the deer smiling at him.

"Bambi huh? Never struck you as the kind of guy to like Disney animals really."

Itachi swallowed the sip of tea he had taken before showing Naruto the design on his own cup; it was a picture of Bambi, again, only accompanied by Thumper and Flower.

"They were gifts from a cousin of mine. I never had the heart to throw them out after he died and they became my favourite cups."

Naruto looked down at the mug again in a new light. The fact that Itachi would ignore what some people would think of him for a mug that someone precious to him had given him made Naruto smile softly.

"I'm sorry to hear he died but I think that this is the best way to honour him… he'd be happy."

Itachi looked into his own cup and murmured a reply,

"Maybe, Naruto… maybe."

Naruto walked through the college hallways with his head up and a smile on his face. Since he had taken the extra classes and actually bothered to learn, his grades had pushed up from U's to A's. A remarkable turnaround but not impossible; he had the skills before but he just chose to waste them.

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto turned round to the speaker and nodded to Kiba.

"There's a huge party at Sakura's house on Friday night, come if you can."

Naruto watched the dark haired teen go and frowned; never before had he been invited by one of Sakura's closer friends to such an event; he was always the underdog who had to find out by word of mouth and was always, always, refused upon entry.

At least, he had been until he met Itachi. Since Itachi there had been no need for the parties.

Maybe Itachi would go on Friday, after all, Naruto wouldn't really know anyone and he didn't really know what to do at a party anyway; sure it was fun to socialise and drink but… the only person he really socialised with was Itachi, a fact that he liked.

So when Kiba came up to him at lunch, Naruto said that he would be coming on Friday. The male had smiled at him then and led him over to the 'popular' table. Sakura smiled at him, pushing her chest out a little and Ino glanced between them, successfully pushing the conversation to a not where Naruto and Sakura were left out.

"Hey Naruto."

Naruto nodded in response and Sakura smiled sickeningly.

"So, uh, you know it's my party on Friday, I heard you could come."

Naruto nodded again and smiled somewhat simply.

"What I wanted to ask was… do you want to come over early. As in… like a date early?"

Naruto was about to nod when Sakura's words caught up with him.

"I don't know you, Sakura-san, so it would be awkward and I do not wish to impose-"

"Nonsense, Naruto, I'm the most sought after woman at this college and it will do wonders for your reputation."

Naruto shook his head, smiling at her.

"No thank you, Sakura. I'm currently involved with someone else and I don't wish to ruin what we have. It is very kind of you to offer though… on second thoughts; I'm bust Friday night so I won't be able to come."

Naruto left a situation where he would have given everything before. It was yet again another Itachi-influenced change and Naruto felt happy as he walked away.

Now he just needed to figure out what exactly his involvement with Itachi was.

"Itachi… what are we?"

Naruto fiddled with the handle of the Bambi cup and Itachi placed his own mug on the table before sitting down.

"We are humans, if that is what you mean."

Naruto shook his head.

"No, not us," he gestures widely around the room, "I mean… us." He pointed each hand to them and Itachi looked into his eyes.

"I don't know, Naruto. It depends on you, really… I would like something to happen between us but if it doesn't feel right for you then I'm not going to push you into anything. Even if my feelings are unrequited, I would still like for our friendship to continue."

As Itachi finished his words, Naruto stood up and the mug of tea spilt onto the table, a crack appearing down the side and over Bambi's face. Naruto's eyes were ablaze and Itachi looked up in slight alarm.

"You think that I kissed you because of friendship? What would it take until you thought of us as a proper relationship then? Full out sex? And you know what, Uchiha; I probably would even if it was, as you said, an unrequited love."

Naruto paused at his own words then and looked at Itachi with wide eyes. Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"You said love."

"I did Naruto."

Naruto bit his lip and looked at the ground.

"But how can you… I mean it's me and… I'm… I don't understand."

Itachi finished the last dregs of tea in his cup and took Naruto's hand gently, pulling him up against his body and wrapping firm arms around the smaller male.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, Naruto, I'll explain it to you the only way I can."

Itachi leant down and kissed Naruto full on the lips. Naruto was taken by surprised and opened his mouth, allowing tongues to brush against each other. Naruto revelled in the feeling and succumbed to Itachi's ministrations, wrapping his arms around the taller frame.

Naruto gasped as Itachi picked him up to place him on the kitchen table and spread his legs apart. The friction between them was wonderful and Naruto arched his back to attain more. Itachi chuckled deeply against Naruto's mouth before leaving to pay attention to his neck. Between each butterfly kiss he placed on the column of skin, he spoke gently,

"If you do not want to continue then please say," a harder kiss and a tongue trailed upwards until Itachi was eye to eye with Naruto. Naruto held back the feeling rising in him and his breath came in slightly heavy pants. "Because I do not think I will be able to contain myself for much longer."

All restraints were off as Naruto pulled the Uchiha closer to him again, making it very clear that he wanted nothing more than to carry on and soon, Naruto found his top on the floor, accompanied by Itachi's.

Both took the time to explore the bodies of the other; Naruto running swift fingers of the skin and marvelling at the smoothness and Itachi puncturing the surrounding air with kisses and touches. They were at a sense of harmony and the balance between them was beautiful. Naruto shuffled back a little, hoping that Itachi would catch onto the fact that he wanted to take this a step further and Itachi did.

Warm hands unbuckled Naruto's belt and he shifted again to allow the fabric to be pushed off his skin, shoes and socks having long gone. Naruto's own hands pushed at the jeans Itachi wore and the Uchiha slipped them off.

Naruto drew Itachi in for another kiss, feeling warmth between them. It was nothing like the morning-bed heat that you loved, nor the warmth from the Aga… this was the pure harmony between two individuals who felt nothing but love.

Yes, Naruto had to admit it, he loved Itachi.

Naruto wasn't sure when their boxers had been discarded off but they were and he found himself being pushed back onto the table, arching his back as it came into contact with the tea. It wasn't hot any more; in fact it was rather cold and Itachi paused at the slight discomfort in Naruto's eyes.

"Tea," was Naruto's reply and Itachi smirked, lowering himself to kiss the trail of hair from Naruto's belly button to his genitals. Naruto twitched at the sensation and it wasn't long before he shuddered; Itachi finally reaching his erection and breathing softly against the tip.

Naruto's back caved in against the tea as a warm mouth enclosed his cock and his eyes widened at the pleasurable feeling. It was odd, really, how one person could cause such pleasures to another without any repercussions happening. Surely something would happen any moment now that would balance out the intense pleasure.

And yet it never did.

Just as he was on the verge of coming, Itachi withdrew with a smirk on his lips. He Places his hands above Naruto's shoulders and leant offer to whisper in his ear,

"Trust me on this one."

He was gone in a flash, leaving Naruto perplexed on the wooden table. Naruto looked around the room and suddenly felt exposed; he was in a kitchen, on a table where he had often sat and eaten food.

But that was before Itachi was back. And he held a small tube that he showed to Naruto. Naruto kissed him once again and the passion seemed only to have grown between them.

Of course Naruto tensed when he felt a cold finger brush against his opening but he was currently too interested in fighting Itachi's tongue for dominance for it to cause much alarm. Two more fingers entered and Naruto felt the discomfort, passing it off for the hint of what was to come.

"Almost there, Naruto, thank you for being patient."

Only Itachi could be so damn polite in a situation like this.

The fingers were replaced with a cock and Itachi paused to allow Naruto's body to adjust. Naruto was the one to start of the process, rocking his hips slightly and sending vibrations through Itachi. The pair moved together, alternating from against one another, to together and the varieties in between.

They climaxed together, sweat mingling with cum and saliva; the ingredients of sex. Naruto closed his eyes and smiled, causing the same reaction out of Itachi. The blond kissed his lover tenderly and Itachi brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes.

"Thank you for showing me.'

The returning answer was a simple kiss.

-

The following Friday began the chain of events that would lead to the destruction of their relationship. There was a party – Shikamaru's party – and Naruto had been drinking.

And he remembered the vital key; don't drive drunk. Or don't drink and drive. Depending on how much you had consumed really and Naruto didn't want to risk it as the world seemed to be heightened in every aspect.

So he called Itachi, asking for him to pick him up. He had spent most of the evenings round Itachi's house and gone home for the night but this weekend, Naruto had freed up especially for his lover. They were planning on spending the whole two days together and Naruto knew he would love it.

So why not start a night earlier? Itachi had agreed and was on his way.

Naruto had got into the car and the radio had been playing until the world echoed around them and Naruto's eyesight went blurry. This time, however, he knew it wasn't due to the alcohol; it was the car.

Later, Naruto would find out that a man had fallen asleep at the wheel and collided side on with Itachi's side of the car, killing himself instantly and seriously injuring his wife, who had also been sleeping. Naruto had been lucky to get away with the bruising and broken leg that he received but it was Itachi that caused him the most pain.

When the car ground to a halt, Naruto looked over to Itachi and saw a trickle of blood rolling down his temple. Panic rose in the blond as he fumbled for his phone, calling the emergency services and screaming at them. They informed him that help was coming yet Naruto wouldn't let go of Itachi's free hand until the paramedics said that every moment Itachi spent in the car was a moment of his life gone.

Naruto didn't know why exactly, but he was told that – after they had cleaned Itachi up as best as they could and reset his left arm, thigh bone and bandaged up his ribs, neck and head – he was in a coma. Naruto sat in his wheelchair by his partner's side and allowed tears to crawl down his cheeks. He didn't move to take Itachi's hand nor even speak words of comfort to him; it was his fault after all, Naruto had asked for him to pick him up and Itachi had. If anyone should have been in a coma, it was Naruto. And Naruto didn't deserve to touch someone like Itachi anymore.

"Naruto? Oh God! I thought- Naruto!"

Naruto's thoughts were broken by anguished sobbing and he was embraced suddenly by his mother. His sober mother.

"When you didn't come home last night, I-I phoned around and heard that there had been an accident… oh Naruto! I could have lost you, never, ever do that to me again."

Kushina actually cared for him. It wasn't just a pseudo care because he resembled his father; she actually cared for him as a son.

"It's my fault…"

Kushina looked up in alarm and hugged her son tighter.

"No, Naruto, it's not. Someone was driving and they fell asleep… you had nothing to do with it. Nor did Uchiha-san."

Kushina looked between the two for a minute before a pained look came on her face and she looked at Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I've missed you growing up for some addiction. You even fell in love and I was too drunk to notice… some mother I am. Minato would be ashamed of how we are. Would you… could you… give me a second chance?"

The apology was so sudden that Naruto could only gape at her. Kushina rubbed her head and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to go make some calls;I have a few debts to call in from the old days. Look after Itachi and he will get better, Naruto."

As Kushina left, Naruto looked back at Itachi lying on the bed and finally took his hand in his own.

"I love you."

Naruto was forced to go home a week later but Kushina – the latest employee at an estate agents – promised that she would take him in. So far, Kushina had had no motivation to get back onto the alcohol but, just in case, she had poured everything away and attended classes every day to make sure that she stayed off of it. The possibility of losing Naruto had taken more out of her than she cared to say and she would never allow that to happen again.

They arrived at the hospital and went upstairs to Itachi's room, only to find a man around Naruto's age standing in the middle of the room.

"Where's Itachi?"

The man turned to look at Naruto and Kushina, adding the wheelchair and the cast to the description of the blond and sneering.

"So you were the one who got my aniki into that accident then? You should be ashamed of yourself. We're having to transfer Itachi to a private firm."

Naruto's face fell and, even though he already knew the answer, he asked the fatal question,

"Can I see him?"

The man laughed.

"No, stay away from Itachi; you're nothing but trouble."

He walked from the room and Kushina made to say something yet Naruto stopped her.

And, although there were tears rolling down his cheeks, Naruto was smiling. Not only had Itachi freed him from the miserable life, freed his mother from alcoholism and brought love into his life but he had set up his future.

The only way to see Itachi again would to become a doctor himself.

Uzumaki Naruto was going to train like hell and Uchiha Itachi would find himself reunited sooner than he may think.

Part Two

It had taken eight long years but, finally, Naruto donned the white coat of one of the most prestigious hospitals in Tokyo. It wasn't the best but they were known for their customer care and Naruto felt proud to be able to walk onto the streets knowing he had just helped someone's life to maintain a better quality.

"Good morning Dr. Uzumaki, here are the patient files for you today," the brown haired woman handed him a bunch of clipboards that Naruto would take to his office to complete. "Tsunade-sama is showing a possible patron of the hospital around today so if you see her at all, please be polite."

Naruto nodded and thanked the woman. He knew all about the patrons; sure the Government paid for the hospital systems but sometimes it just wasn't enough. They had a research lab in this building too and they needed extra funding for certain aspects. To impress someone, Namikaze Hospital had to be in top condition and the staff needed to be polite. Naruto could do both is he so wished.

He wandered down to his office where the numbers U-4 were printed on the name plate. The U stood for Uzumaki and the number showed that he was the fourth person with a surname of 'U' in the hospital. This had been one of the cutbacks they had made to allow for extra money; less letter, less printing costs.

After dropping off the files and locking his door, Naruto wandered down the corridors, greeting colleagues and patients politely. He reached a door and peeked in, smiling as he did so.

"Morning Gaara, how are you today?"

Until recently, Gaara had been diagnosed with skin cancer and he was her for a check up to see if he was in the clear. The tumour that had been visible had been able to be removed easily and the surgeons had said that the cancer hadn't spread to anywhere else. In other words, Gaara had been lucky to have found the symptoms when he had and got it treated. If it had spread then he may have had to have chemotherapy.

"I'm good thank you Naruto. I've heard about the guest Tsunade-sama has and I guess you'll be pretty busy today eh?"

Naruto nodded and sat down opposite Gaara, checking all the necessary things before replying.

"Indeed, I already have seven patients I need to get through in an hour. I'm going to send you off to that room again so they can run a scan to check that you're all in the clear. From what I can see here, you're healing well; the skin is a healthy pink and that's the way we want it to stay. Obviously if it does start to darken or become painful come straight back."

Gaara nodded and thanked the blond. Naruto left shortly afterward to continue the rounds, stopping by his office each time and handing the necessary files back to the receptionist.

Naruto stopped for a second to watch her work; she alternated between signing the needed documents and arranging appointments via the phone. The doctor had to hand it to her; it was hard to do everything so efficiently and perfectly when guests visited and she had to do everything as soon as it was given or risk a huge mistake when the possible patron was at the hospital.

Naruto noticed the pile of extra files in his tray and looked at her in confusion.

"You're the only one who actually seems to be getting through your patients so I've added a few extra. We need to get all appointments out of the way and allow for emergencies if needed. Why did Tsunade have to choose today to bring him in! It had to be the busiest day of the year… Naruto, could you go get Shizune? I need a bit of help and Shizune's the best person."

Naruto nodded and hurried off to comply with TenTen's wishes. If there was one thing he had learnt it was that receptionists were damn scary when they needed to be.

He came to a dark door labelled T-1, the reason being that the hospital used to be situated near to a pig farm and, one day, the staff had passed the empty room to see a small piglet in the centre. Everyone thought that it had run away from the pig farm so when Shizune, Tsunade's assistant and best friend, took it back to the farm they had expected it all to be over.

But, apparently, the pig wasn't on their records and they refused to take it; it was a runt anyway. Since then, Shizune had trained the pig – Tonton – to help around the hospital, picking up dropped files and equipment or just being around the children's ward where the children loved the little pig.

Shizune had named the room in honour of the little pig and refused to change it whenever anyone asked her to. Tsunade and Naruto held the same views and it was mor5e of a tradition than anything now.

Knocking upon the door, Naruto was greeted by a grunt and a cheerful 'enter'. Shizune sat at her desk, reading a magazine and chatting to the pig on the sofa.

"TenTen's having trouble at the front desk and she requested you personally."

Shizune snapped the paper shut and stood up, a glint in her eyes.

"Well since I'm wanted especially, I suppose I should go help."

Naruto nodded and walked with Shizune back down to the desk; his office was on the way. He noticed the black haired woman looking at him strangely for a while and he questioned her upon it.

"Well it's just that Tsunade-sama wanted you to help her out today. She was planning to sneak up on you and grab you before leaving you with our guest. She was muttering something about showing him personal experience or something."

Naruto stopped outside his door and waved Shizune off; mental not for the day, stay away from Tsunade.

Naruto was sprawled across one of the staff room's sofas. This area was the doctor's private lounge for when they had a spare five minutes and wanted a coffee. It was near the canteen but Naruto preferred it in here; hardly anyone else used it and there was a red sofa that had his name on it.

Literally; Naruto had written his name on the underside of one of the cushions one day when he was bored and Tsunade almost had his neck for that one.

Speaking of Tsunade, he had been successfully avoiding her. The news of her approach spread like wildfire and Naruto had managed to avoid all traces of her so far. It was only time until his luck ran out and…

… And he could now hear her droning 'professional' tone as she detailed what was on this floor. Naruto tried to sink further into the red cushions when he heard the footsteps and sighed in relief as she passed.

"Oh, excuse me a moment. I just need to get something."

The door opened and Naruto whined as it shut with a bang. Naruto sighed and lifted his head; it was one of his rare ten minute breaks and he really didn't want to help Tsunade and the random man.

"Namikaze, get up off that sofa and learn some manners!"

Every time Tsunade told him off within this establishment, she used the name they shared. She was his aunt-of-sorts from his father's side and had met Naruto when he was working at a lesser known hospital. She had only found out that his father had been Minato when the man had begun work and had swooped down on him automatically.

Naruto had, of course, insisted that he keep the Uzumaki name to remember all that his mother had done for him. Kushina had worked hard to make up for the alcohol debt and to pay for part of Naruto's tuition. When Naruto moved to Tokyo, Kushina had refused, saying that she'd rather stay at the house Minato had purchased so long ago. Every weekend free he got, Naruto would go out to visit her and the dogs (Axe had been left at Itachi's house and Naruto brought him home; Kushina had then taken to the Irish wolfhound and decided to breed from him) with a gift for her.

"Actually I wanted you to take a guest to a few of your patients. I hate to say it but you're one of the best we have here and I think it might add to the deal." Tsunade paused and looked wearily at Naruto.

"To tell you the truth, I don't think we've convinced him. He doesn't look impressed and if we don't get the support…" Tsunade trailed off and Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Alright then, where is he?"

Tsunade beamed and opened the door, speaking softly.

"Uchiha-sama is a former doctor himself and represents one of the biggest hospitals in all of Japan. You're a friendly person so just keep talking to him; I think it's an Uchiha trait. None of them like speaking much."

Naruto's brain had stopped functioning at the word 'Uchiha' and his pulse increased.

Could it be?

After so long, would he finally reach his goal? The main reason he had come to Tokyo was because the main Uchiha hospital was situated here and if Itachi hadn't come back home then it would have to mean he was here. Itachi's brother had done a good job in hiding all personal files; Naruto hadn't been able to track Itachi down any further and had been waiting for a free evening to go to the Uchiha hospital.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama, here is one of our finest doctors; Namikaze Naruto."

Naruto didn't even have the heart to jab her in the side for the name but looked blankly forwards at the man in the dark suit. Without even turning his head, Naruto knew it was Itachi. The long silky hair that was tied in a neat pony tail hung down his back and Naruto felt his stomach coil in anticipation. What would Itachi say?

"I'll be leaving you, just stop by my office when Uchiha-sama has had enough."

Tsunade left, her heels clicking on the floor and Itachi finally turned. HE surveyed Naruto for a couple of achingly long seconds before smiling softly.

"Congratulations."

Naruto frowned; what was he congratulating him for. Itachi cut their eye contact and spoke quickly,

"For getting the white coat."

Naruto nodded and rubbed the back of his head uneasily.

"I have a few patients to visit, would you care to join me?"

Itachi nodded and fell into step alongside the blond. With every step, Naruto's stomach grew tighter and it pained him. Why wasn't Itachi talking to him? Had he done something wrong? Well there was the car crash… that had been Naruto's fault after all, but surely he could have been more articulate.

Whatever the reason, Naruto tapped on the door to his next patient, then the next, and the next, following each necessary meeting with the required skills and sending the patient off with a smile. Throughout the whole process, Itachi was silent aside from when he asked professional questions, mainly about what it was like to work here or asking the patients about the care they received. Each answer was positive yet the coil in his stomach tightened even further.

"Would you like me to take you to Tsunade's office now?"

Instead of the affirmative answer, as Naruto had expected, Itachi shook his head, walking back to the lift. Naruto followed in confusion and watched as the dark haired man pushed the floor button that would take them back up to the canteen.

What was Itachi doing?

They left the lift and Itachi glanced at Naruto.

"We need to talk," was all he offered and Naruto almost flinched at the tone. For some reason, Naruto felt as if he were some naughty school boy that was about to be reprimanded for his actions. Being around Itachi had never been this uncomfortable and Naruto had to agree with the statement; they really did need to talk.

It was already evening and Naruto gestured for his ex lover to take a seat while he went to get drinks.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san! Are you here for the usual? We didn't notice you here at lunch."

Naruto shook his head at Ayame.

"No, just two coffees please. I had lunch from home today, on the go. I knew it would be a busy day; Saturdays always are."

The chef nodded and said that she would bring the coffee over to him. Naruto thanked her and returned to the gloomy table Itachi sat at. It struck him then that it wasn't only him that was feeling these emotions; Itachi was probably going through the same thing too.

"So…" he began and looked up. "Well, the coffee will be over in a minute." Itachi nodded curtly and returned to what Naruto assumed to be sorting his thoughts out.

Naruto had never seen Itachi like this; he had always seemed carefree and happy around Naruto but now… it was like everything had reversed itself.

"Here you are Naruto, two coffees. I used the mugs you prefer."

Naruto froze as the two mugs were placed on the table and Itachi's eyes widened. On both of the cups, Bambi looked up at them and Naruto chuckled nervously.

"You left everything at your house and I managed to salvage one of them." He pointed to the one Itachi had in front of him. "My one came from a charity shop to replace the one I broke when… well."

Itachi nodded slowly; it didn't need to be said that Naruto broke it when they first had sex together. Itachi had often joked about him breaking his precious cup and Naruto blushed every time.

"Why would you go to my house after I left?"

Itachi's voice was cold and Naruto was taken aback. Was he missing something?

"Because it was all I had left…" Naruto's voice was quiet and he looked down at the deer on his cup. Its face looked so damn happy that Naruto suddenly felt jealous.

Until he remembered that the deer's mother ended up being shot and he was shipped off to live with his bastard of a father who, through the film, said the total of six words; those words comprising of 'you must get up, Bambi. Now!'

What a nice father.

Naruto chanced a glance at Itachi's face and frowned; there was a look of shock on his face.

"But… why?" The words were laced with confusion and Naruto looked sideways for a moment.

"Because your brother refused to tell me where he moved you to and I spent months crying over that fact, before I finally decided to get up and actually do something about it. Because I haven't heard a single thing from you in eight years and it would have been so easy for you to do it! Because I missed you every single second I've been away from you and now all you can say is that?"

Naruto didn't mean to raise his voice yet the thing he had wanted to ask for so long seemed to take a life of their own. Itachi's face returned to shock and Naruto, who had been about to continue, stopped and closed his mouth.

"Sasuke… refused to tell you?"

Naruto nodded slowly and Itachi's face seemed to crumple slightly as he inhaled deeply.

"It seems my brother lied to me. He told me that you left me after the crash… and that you refused to see me."

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth hung open a little.

"I knew he was a bastard! Where does he live because I'm going to go over there and teach that prick a lesson, or so god help me-"

"Naruto," Itachi interrupted and Naruto looked him fully in the eye.

"Do you think… that we could return to what we had?" Itachi's hand was placed on top of the table and Naruto bit his lip.

"But I was the reason you fell into a coma, it was my fault and… how can you live with that? You should be punishing me not… not allowing me everything I've wanted."

A deep chuckle filled the area around them and a few other people who were mingling about look at the couple.

"Naruto," Itachi took Naruto's hand and held it in his own, squeezing tightly. "Even if it had been your fault, I would still want to be with you. I thought you knew that I lo-"

Naruto retracted the hand and shut his eyes tightly, pushing his index fingers into his ear canals to stop the flow of noise.

"Don't say it! If you say it then I might get my hopes up."

Itachi shook his head and slid the coffee mugs to the side of the table where they wouldn't cause any harm. He gently prised Naruto's fingers out of his ears and the blond looked at him in confusion.

"I love you."

Naruto deflated suddenly and slumped to the table. Itachi looked at him in slight confusion before Naruto elaborated,

"The coil in my stomach just went. It took a lot out of me, Itachi."

Itachi smiled softly before downing the liquid in his mug.

"I'm going to ask them if I can wash my mug up, is it okay if I take this home with me?"

Naruto nodded and finished his own drink. Itachi walked over to the counter and spoke briefly to Ayame, who smiled widely and bowed to him. Naruto shook his head; to think he'd been so worried about meeting the benefactor… and for it to be Itachi.

There was one thing Naruto was sure about; Uchiha Sasuke would be getting a very large mouthful from him.

Itachi held the mug in one hand and smiled at Naruto.

"I do believe Tsunade-sama wanted us to return to her."

Naruto nodded and smiled back at Itachi.

So maybe they weren't back to what they had been but at least this was a start.

Naruto and Itachi waited outside the door for Tsunade after knocking. A grumbling came from inside the office and Naruto shrugged his shoulders to Itachi's curious look.

"Are you finally back? Get in here then you two."

Apparently all charades of politeness had been lost and Tsunade was not in the mood for small talk. She sat down behind her desk and looked between them, waiting for whatever verdict would be given.

"I have made my choice, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded and rubbed her temples.

"Well then… Naruto if you could go get Shizune; we need to make the appropriate transfers to begin closing down."

Naruto frowned and looked to Itachi, who was smiling. SO he was enjoying this? Naruto nudged him in the ribs and the Uchiha complied.

"No need, Tsunade-sama. I plan on becoming a personal benefactor to this establishment and I would like to give you the first instalment here before everything has been processed. You have shown me that you have a wonderful hospital here and it would be an honour to sponsor it for you."

Tsunade appeared to gape like a fish before looking between Naruto and Itachi.

"Naruto… what did you do? Did you drug him? Oh my god… we're going to have to admit to that… Naruto!"

Naruto shook his head and sighed deeply; it was just like Tsunade to go off on one when things went her way.

"Here you are, Tsunade-sama. I will be in contact with you over the phone to schedule out next meeting."

Tsunade took the cheque and stared at it as if it were the Messiah.

"Thank… you."

Itachi nodded and Naruto excused himself to lead the Uchiha through the building. They passed TenTen and Shizune at the desk and they took in the sight curiously; Naruto with the guy everyone had been afraid of? What an unlikely pair. TenTen called out to the blond just as he exited,

"See you tomorrow Naruto!"

Naruto looked round with a frown; normally he would be kept back on weekends but TenTen just winked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, you never answered my question Naruto."

Naruto paused and Itachi carried on until he stopped by a dark car. Itachi looked round when he noticed Naruto wasn't by his side and glanced over his shoulder to see the blank faced Uzumaki outside the hospital entrance.

"Really?" His voice was so quiet that Itachi knew he was speaking to himself.

A moment later, Itachi was pushed against his car as a blond bundle hugged him tightly, squeezing his ribs tightly. Itachi smiled in return and wrapped his arms around Naruto, kissing the top of his head.

"Let's go home then."

Naruto looked up with a frown on his face,

"But we've just been reunited."

Te mug in Itachi's hand clinked as he opened the car door and pushed Naruto in. Leaning down, a smirk crossed his face as he spoke,

"Did I forget to mention that you're moving in with me?"

Naruto's face froze for a moment before he burst into laughter.

It took a few moments but, after the car purred into a start, Naruto answered;

"I'd love to."

The next morning, Naruto seemed to be at the height of attention. He had been dropped off at the hospital by a dark looking car that was rumoured to belong to Uchiha-sama and had all the signs of fatigue on his face.

As well as other things such as little marks on his neck – which the turtle neck did not hide thankyouverymuch – and the slight limp as he walked.

Of course there were the rumours and Naruto scowled at Tsunade as she passed him the remaining Bambi cup.

"I get why he carried them now, thank you for all of your help."

She chuckled as she walked off and Naruto swore he heard her get out a phone and say the name Kushina. Trust the women to banter about his love life; no doubt Tsunade had already told her about anything.

When he got home that night, he found most of his belongings in boxes at their apartment. It was nothing like the cottage in the woods but it suited its environment.

And, as they lay together in bed, limbs entwined and Naruto's head resting upon Itachi's chest, listening to the drum of his heart beat, the two Bambi cups sat on the kitchen counter, ready for their breakfast.


End file.
